Human Nature
by GirlX2
Summary: Ray's Gift comes to light. Second in the 'Magik' Trilogy, and sequl to 'Pete the Magic Dragon'. Rated T for angst
1. Chapter 1

Human Nature

Second in the Magik Trilogy

By GirlX2

"Take my advice, when you meet anything that's going to be Human and isn't yet, or used to be Human once and isn't now, or ought to be Human and isn't, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet." Mr. Beaver, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

-

I own Neither the RGB, or Mr. Beaver. This is the second in what will hopefully be a trilogy of stories, and the sequel to 'Pete the Magik Dragon'. (So, if you haven't read that, your going to be _very _lost...)There's also a nod to the venomently anti-E/J-ers, althoghI don't feel that way myself. I'm neurtal. Anway,enjoy!

-

Chapter the First

-

It had been so long, but at last, they were back. They were venerable. But best of all, the young one was ready to turn.

She smiled and faded into the darkness.

-

Peter slowly sat up, his heart sinking. His gaze traveled across the darkened bedroom to where Egon lay sleeping. The blond was deep within REM sleep. Were it not for the overwhelming feeling of terror that had permeated his brain, Peter would have suspected it was a peaceful slumber. He stood, and walked quietly across the room as not to wake the other men.

'Damnit! It's been nearly a month since he's had an episode.' Peter placed a hand on the sleeping scientist's forehead. Egon twitched slightly, a soft moan escaping his lips.

Peter closed his eyes, waiting for the familiar gold thread to appear. It did, and he followed it to the lab door; the gateway into Egon's mind. He opened the door, stepped forward, and let his ethereal dragon wings guide him to the floor. As he did, the brunette reflected over the last six months.

Egon's recovery from their trip to the past had been extremely rough. After spending a simulated year trapped with the horrors created by Merdaf, he was deeply scarred. He hadn't spoken aloud for nearly a month afterwards. Peter, trained therapist that he was, eventually managed to coax the blond back to verbal speech. He'd been using telepathic communication during the interim.

Egon's telepathic ability had continued to grow, even after he'd started talking again. Like Peter, he could communicate telepathically. In addition to that he was also an empath, capable of transmitting and perceiving emotions (thus Peter's alert to Egon's dreams). It had helped in the recovery as Peter was able to clearly sense-

'Hell, I was bombarded with his emotions'. Peter thought. It had taken some time before Egon was able to keep his emotions to himslef, let alone block other's. He'd managed to shield himself by using psycic walls. They'd discovered that talent one day when Egon wasn't in a particularly talkative mood, and Peter found himself locked out of his friend's mind. He suspected it wouldn't be long before Egon could use psychic blows like Merdaf had.

Peter landed softly on the gray floor. Slowly he looked around, bracing himself for the worst. Even though Merdaf was dead, the effects of his attacks still occasionally caused Egon to experience horrific images while he slumbered. It was entirely possible that he may see his friends-and himself-being tortured.

Once at Egon's request, he'd tried letting Egon sleep though the nightmares. Egon was able to wake up, but afterwards he'd stopped talking for another week. They decided until a permanent cure could be found, Peter would internally wake Egon from the dreams.

Terrified cries met the brunet's ears, snapping him out of his trip down short-term memory lane. He hurried towards the sound.

What must have been a six year old Egon came into view. A monstrous parody of his father loomed over the blond child, screaming at him. Peter winced. He'd hardly ever seen Egon attacked. Generally, Egon was forced to watch the others suffer.

"Its time for you to stop all this Boogeyman nonsense, and grow up!" Mr. Spengler yelled. Egon cowered against a wall, tears streaming down his face.

'Father issues. That's a new one.' Peter thought grimly.

"Egon." Peter said, stepping into his line of vision.

"Peter?" Egon asked, snuffling back tears. The father-monster was still yelling, but the 'volume' had been turned down.

"Yeah." Peter said.

"Damn." Egon growled in a very un-childlike manner. As he did, his father disappeared, and he rapidly grew back to adulthood.

"That was a first." Peter's eyebrow rose. "Usually don't see your Dad 'round these parts."

"He called today. It wasn't pleasant." Egon got to his feet. "He ended the call screaming that I needed to 'Grow up and stop wasting my time with Ghostbusters.' I guess that's what triggered this."

"Well, at least its over with." Peter said cheerily, preparing to leave Egon's mind.

Egon sighed. "It's been over a month since I had one of these dreams! I thought, perhaps…"

Peter placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know, but we all knew it would take some time for you to recover."

"I can't go thought the rest of my life needing you to come save me." Egon said, a tad sourly.

"As soon as we get a hold of that book Dena told me about, I won't need to." Peter reminded him, as they approached the now-grounded door.

" 'The Tome of the Unknowable'? Ray's been chasing after it for months. I seriously doubt it even exists anymore." Egon slid his glasses up his nose.

"Well, this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it. We can discuss this in the morning if you'd like." Peter switched effortlessly into 'therapist mode'.

"Not necessary Peter, but thank you." Egon dredged up a smile. "Since I know what triggered this, therapy would be irrelevant."

"Then I'll let you go back to normal sleep." Peter said as he exited Egon's mind. His 'real' eyes opened, revealing the still-sleeping Egon. Peter nodded, satisfied, and returned to his own bed.

-

Ray stirred his coffee quietly as Egon and Peter came down the stairs. He watched the two as they conversed psychically. Egon's eyebrows rose, and Peter began to laugh aloud.

"Hey guys." Winston nodded at them over his paper.

"Hey Zedd." Peter grinned.

'Good morning.' Egon cleared his throat. "Sorry. Good morning."

"Its cool." Winston went back to his paper. He'd long become used to such oddness.

Ray nodded, but said nothing. He watched as Egon and Peter resumed their telepathic repertoire. He frowned slightly.

'Don't they know its rude to have private conversations in front of other people?' He thought sourly.

"What's up for today?" Winston asked.

"The usual. A few class threes, some class twos." Ray answered mechanically.

"Any luck on tracking down The Tome?" Pete asked.

Ray shook his head. "I've followed it as far as being stolen from the Vatican, but I don't know what happened to it after that."

"I doubt you'll ever track it down Ray. It would be nearly impossible, seeing as you can't figure out what the thief did with it." Egon said nonchalantly. "Besides with Peter's help, I'm nearly-"

"I'll find it, Egon." Ray's voice had gone cold. "With enough time, I've tracked down every book we've ever needed."

"Alright Ray." Egon said, a note of surprise in his voice.

"We're not gonna accomplish anything if we just hang around here all day. Let's get moving." Winston folded his paper.

"I'll join you at the Ectomobile in a moment." Egon replied, and walked down the spiral staircase.

Winston grinned at the other men. "Ever since we got back, he's been pretty attentive to Janine."

"Yeah, that's putting it nice." Peter chuckled.  
"Can we please go five minutes without discussing Egon and Janine?" Ray slammed his coffee cup onto the table. "It's not that interesting! She's been flirting with him for five years, its about damn time he did something."

There was a stunned silence.

"Take it easy Ray, we're just kidding around." Peter finally managed.

"Don't tell me to take it easy Peter. You've been riding me about that damn book for the last six months, and I'm getting sick of it." Ray growled. "I've got enough on my plate just doing daily repairs on the Ectomobile, without running errands for you and 'lover boy' down there."

"Now wait a minute-" Peter began.

"You wait a minute. I'm going to load the gear." Ray started down the stairs.

"Stantz, whatever the hell's wrong with you, you'd better get over it!" Peter yelled after him.

"What the heck is wrong with him lately?" Winston stared in amazement.

"I don't know, and I don't care." Peter said angrily. "He's been acting like a jerk for a week now, and I'm sick of it."

Winston shook his head and started downstairs.

-

There was an uncomfortable silence as the Ghostbusters traveled homeward from their last job of the day. Egon mentally asked Peter what was wrong, and sent him a questioning emotion, but the brunette simply shook his head. Egon began to hum 'Don't worry be Happy', causing the younger man to laugh.

"You two want a room?" Ray grumbled gruffly from the drivers seat.

"Just drive the car Stantz." Peter shot him a harsh look.

'Peter, did something happen with Ray?' Egon was whispering, even thought the thoughts could only be heard by Peter.

'He's being a jackass, ignore him.' Peter replied curtly.

Egon sighed aloud.

"And don't think I don't know you're talking about me." Ray said in a frosty tone. "Just because you've got that freaky mind-link, you're no better than the rest of us."  
"Ray, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Peter yelled, his breaking point reached.

"YOU shut the hell up!" Ray turned to face Peter.

"Lookout!" Egon yelled, pointing.

Winston watched, terrified, as the car headed straight for a telephone pole. He threw his hands up, to brace for impact. There was a soft jolt, as the car hit something and gently bounced backwards.

As Winton lowered his hands, the car rolled backwards to a slow stop.

"Is everybody okay?" The dark man managed.

"Uh, yeah." Ray said.

"Yes, I think I'm alright." Egon said shakily. "Peter?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Peter unsnapped his seatbelt and got out of the car. "What stopped us? We didn't hit the pole!"

The men got out and examined the undamaged car. Egon frowned slightly and traced the bumper with his fingers.

"This is very odd. Something prevented us from hitting that pole. We didn't come close."

"I didn't see anything." Winston volunteered.

"We all know Ray didn't see anything." Peter said darkly.

"If you and Spengler hadn't been so busy giggling like schoolgirls, maybe I could have concentrated on the road." Rage burned within the red-haired man. He clenched his fist, wanting very badly to punch Venkman.

'He'd your best friend!' A small voice protested in the back of his head. Whether it was Egon talking to him or his own inner voice, he didn't care. He growled.

An incredulous look crossed Peter's face.

"Did you just _growl _at me? Stantz, you're psycho!"

"Guys, its been a stressful week, lets just-Ray, NO!"

Egon was cut off as Ray rushed at Peter, fists balled. Peter stood his ground, eyes narrowing.

"STOP!" Winston bellowed, his hands out. Ray seemed to slow slightly, but still hit Peter's gut. Peter, expecting a slight blow from the other man, was thrown backwards several feet. He gasped, winded.

'Peter!' Egon's anguished cry rang through everyone's minds. He was instantly at the psychologist's side.

Winston rushed forward, grabbing Ray in a bear hug. "Ray, stop!"

Ray twisted in the grip. He growled, fighting the darker man like an animal in a trap. Winston's eyes widened as Ray slowly worked his way free.

"Ray, listen to me, something is wrong with you!" Winston pleaded. Ray snarled at him, spinning, trying to free himself.

Peter watched the two struggling men as Egon helped him to his feet.

'Peter, are you alight?' Egon's concern flooded the psychologist.

'I'll be okay, but something is definitely wrong with Ray.' Peter tried to shake off the alien feeling.

Ray finally threw Winston off. He spun to face the older man, teeth barred. Winton put his hands out.

"Ray, its me. Its Zedd." Winston said in a calm tone. "Something is wrong with you. Think it out."

A look of confusion and panic crossed the red-head's face. He suddenly seemed unsure of himself.

"Ray." Winston said soothingly. "Let us help you."

'Its okay Ray.' Egon slowly approached the man. At the mental intrusion, Ray grabbed his ears and began to whimper. He sank to his knees.

"Ray." Peter said quietly. Ray sank to the ground, shaking. "Ray, its gonna be alright. We can-"

Ray yowled inhumanly. The other Ghostbusters stepped back at the horrifying sound.

"Egon, what's going on?" Winston said, alarmed.

'I don't know!' Egon, in his panic, had reverted to telepathy. 'Peter, what do we do?'

"I don't know." Peter half whispered. His eyes were fixed on the youngest Ghostbuster.

Ray was aware that there were voices around him, but he no longer cared. Agony flooded him. Pain wracked his body, causing him to spasm erratically. His blood was fire. His skin was ice. He heard the others yell, but couldn't open his eyes. The terrified man rocked on the ground, filled with pain, fear; and lingering rage. He howled again, the sound more beastly than human.

Then, in an instant, the pain was gone. He opened his eyes, staring to the terrified faces of his friends. As he got to his knees, the others quickly backed away. Peter's green eyes widened in a curious kind of horror.

Ray's gaze traveled to his hands, splayed in front of him on the ground. Long nails-claws really-dug trenches in the ground. Fur that began nearly at his fingertips traveled up his arms, disappearing under the cuffs of his uniform. Ray gasped.

'Ray?' Egon's mental voice startled the terrified man. He leapt nimbly to his feet, and began to run.

"Ray, no!" Winton's yell followed the younger man. He heard the others running after him. They were to slow, though. He could easily outrun them now.

Whatever 'now' meant.

-

End of Chapter the First


	2. Chapter 2

Human Nature

Chapter the Second

By GirlX2

Ray ran blindly through the alleys. Few people saw him rush past, and those who did began to scream, or run in the opposite direction. He came to the end of an alley, and sank down. He gulped great gusts of air. The intense rage had faded, leaving the Ghostbuster exhausted.

'That's why I've been snapping at everyone lately. I've been turning into a monster.' Ray looked up into the dirty twilight sky. Tears tricked down his face.

He lowered his gaze, scanning the darkening alley for anything reflective. His eyes lighted on a medium sized puddle. Slowly, he stood and approached it. So far, he'd only seen his transformed hands. His skin had taken on a strange tint, while dark fur had sprouted on the skin. Ray clenched his teeth and looked into the water.

He was completely orange.

Ray stared incredulously at his reflection. His skin and fur appeared an idiotic orange in the dirty water. After expecting a horrifying monster, the image started him laughing. When he did, he caught sight of razor-sharp fangs filling his mouth. Ray raised a hand to his mouth, and caught sight of his new claws. Slowly, his hand dropped away.

His overall appearance was that of a humanoid-cat mix. His hair had grown long, giving the appearance of bushy fur. His facial features had grown sharper, and he'd grown mutton chop-like sideburns. His ears had turned pointed and moved upward. He'd gained some muscle mass also, losing the roundness that filled his uniform.

'That's still not enough to send all those people into screaming fits.' Ray examined his image closely.

'Well, I _was _running on all fours.'

His body structure was now catlike. Ray sat heavily on the ground, his balance completely thrown off. His build was now better suited to using four limbs to walk, rather than two.

'I look like…' The Ghostbuster searched him memory banks. His altered image was familiar, and he'd definitely seen it somewhere before.

"Beast! From the X-Men." Ray said aloud. The notorious group of vigilante mutants often operated in New York. Their masked faces had graced the headlines many times. Beast was a mutated man, covered in blue fur, with the outward appearance of a blue cat-like creature.

'I'm an orange version of a wanted vigilante mutant. Great.' Ray thought sarcastically.

Anger began to course through him. He clenched his fist, the long claws biting into his palms.

'Stop it! That's what got you into this mess.' The inner voice cried out. Ray gulped and unclenched his hands. Anger had triggered his beastly transformation. There was no telling what would happen if he got mad again.

He stared numbly as blood welled up on his palms.

-

"What the hell just happened?" Winston demanded.

Egon's attention was focused on the ally Ray had lost them in. "I can't be sure, but I may have an idea. We knew Peter and I were mutated from the proton packs-"

"Our psychic abilities?" Peter cut in.

"Right." Egon nodded. "Well, I think we've just gotten conclusive proof that Ray has also been mutated."

"Good lord." Winston said breathlessly. "He turned into an cat!"

"Not a cat, but cat-like. I'll need to run some tests to see what's happened." Egon said.

"We can change him back, right?" Winston asked.

Egon's eyes slid to the pavement. "I don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" The darker man growled.

"It may be permanent." Egon said.

"No. I don't accept that." Winston said, anger flashing in his eyes.

"We can't know anything for sure until we find him!" Peter cut in. "Lets concentrate on one thing at a time."

Winston nodded, scowling.

Egon stared at one of his devices. "He's gone this way. We've got to hurry though. His biorhythmic patterns are fading."  
"What?" Peter asked.

"Trail's going cold."

"Ah."

-

Ray sat slumped against a brick wall.

'I attacked my best friends…I'm a freak….' His thoughts ran in an endless circle.

"Raymond."

Ray jumped to his feet. Well, he actually jumped several feet in the air, and landed on his hands and feet.

A woman stood at the dead end of the ally. Ray backed away, slowly.

"I'm not here to harm you." She said in a calm tone. Unglamorous blond hair hung pony-tail style down her back. She was slim and shorter than he was. She wore an unremarkable pair of jeans, a tee-shirt, and sneakers.

"Who are you?" Ray demanded.  
"My name is Sarah." She said quietly.

"And how do you know who I am? Right now I look a bit different than my photos in the paper." He asked.

"I've been sent by those who wish to protect you. There's another here. One who wants to turn you to evil. Use your form to destroy those you'd otherwise protect."

"Uh-huh." Ray said skeptically, standing unsteadily upright.

"I do not wish for you to fall to darkness, Raymond Stantz." She replied.

"That makes two of us." Ray responded grimly. "But why should I trust you?"

"My mother once spared your life. Were it not for her, Egon Spengler would have remained in a private hell for the rest of his days."

Ray paled under his fur. "Your mother is Dena? Dena the _dragon_?"

She nodded. "I'll explain, but I need to take you somewhere safe first. The open city is full of the agents who would see the Ghostbusters fall."  
"Stop!" A voice at the other end of the ally roared. Ray spun on his heels.

A humanoid void of dark confronted him. Dark red eyes burned. Shadows formed around the shape, making it grow and shift. Ray took a step backwards, terrified.

Sarah grabbed his wrist. "If you would keep your friends alive, come with me!"

Ray nodded, and she pulled him towards the wall.

And through the wall.

The other being roared in rage. The sound was abruptly cut off, as the wall closed behind him.

Rose colored light flowed softly across the new room. It _seemed _like a normal apartment. A few overstuffed easy chairs were placed in odd corners of the room.

"Won't that thing come through the wall after us?" Ray backed away from the wall they'd ghosted through.

"We're not on the other side of the wall in the ally." Sarah said with a small smile. "We're in my apartment on the upper west side."  
Ray gulped. "You can do magic."

"I am half dragon." She sat on one of the chairs and motioned for him to do likewise. Ray sat gingerly, the chair creaking beneath him.

"Only half?"

Sarah nodded. "My mother was the last of our kind. She could change into human form, however. In that form, she married a man and bore me."

"And then?" Ray asked quietly.

Sarah's gaze slid from him. "She was murdered when her secret was discovered."  
"This must not have been long ago. You can't be more than-"

"I'm much older than I look." She interrupted. "Dragons live many hundreds of years. I have seen much in my lifetime, Raymond Stantz."

"How did you find me?"

"My mother knew that you were also gifted, like your friends. She told me your story, and how I would know you." Sarah smiled ruefully.

"You call this a gift?" Ray said incredulously.

"Yes."

"I'm a mutant."

"As are your friends."

"Yeah, well, Peter and Egon still look normal. Look at me!" Ray demanded.

She studied him carefully. "It may yet be undone"  
"What?" Ray asked stupidly.

"With help, you may be able to control this gift. Change back and forth at will. Or never change into this form again, if you wish."

"I can still be me?" He asked desperately.

"Yes Raymond. With help." Sarah nodded.

Ray sat heavily in the chair. "I want to be me again."

"You can be. Once you gain control over your gift, the dark forces will have no way to control you."

"What was that thing that we saw?" He asked.

Her expression darkened. "A very old foe. One who has opposed me and my kind for many years."

Ray nodded, not wanting to press the issue.

"I can train you to control your gift. It will take several weeks, but your friends will worry if you don't see them." Sarah continued. "It would be wise for you to return home as quickly as possible."

"Looking like this? I won't get a mile on the streets." Ray said, remembering his brief encounter with NYC natives.

"We will go after nightfall."

-

"It stops at this wall!" Egon said, cheeks flaring a frustrated red. "His biorhythmic waves just vanish at this point."

The Ghostbusters had followed Ray's trail all the way to the end of an ally, where the biological patterns had abruptly stopped.

"Well, he could have gone through a portal." Winston suggested.

"Nothing is registering on the scanners." Peter piped up.

Egon glared at the wall. "It doesn't make any sense!"  
"Perhaps I can shed some light on the problem." A voice said from behind.

The three men spun around.

A woman in a black dress stood in the mouth of the ally. Wickedly spiked heels added three inches to her already tall frame. Flaming curly red hair streaked with purple cascaded down her shoulders. Silver earrings dangled from her ears, matching the silver bracelets and rings she wore. She held a leather-bound book inscribed with archaic symbols. Green eyes ringed with thick black eyeliner narrowed on the three men.

"Who the hell are you?" Peter asked wearily.

'You knew me as Dena.' A familiar voice rang in the men's heads.

"Oh my God." Egon gaped at her.

"Wh-How-" Winston stammered. "Dena is a dragon!"  
'Who said I'm not?' She smiled sinisterly. Her pupils contracted for a moment into diamonds. The older man took a step back.

"Why do you look like a Goth?" Peter cocked an eyebrow.

"What better disguise for one of my species that a wannabe daughter of darkness?" Dena approached them.

"Good point." Winston murmured.

The smile dropped off her face. "The young one has already been taken. We must act quickly."

"Ray's been taken? By who?" Alarm flooded Egon's voice.

Ignoring Egon's question, Dena placed a hand on the wall. She snatched it back, with a small cry of pain.

As she did, an invisible forced pushed them away from the wall. Startled, Egon dropped the piece of equipment he'd been carrying. It clattered to the asphalt of the alleyway.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out now." Peter said after a moment. "That's the second time an unseen force has moved us outta harm's way."

Dena looked the three of them over carefully.

"Its you." She pointed a black nail at Winston.

"What?" Winston asked blankly.

"Your gift. You are a telekinetic."

"Say what?" Winston's eyes bugged out.

"You can move things with your mind." Peter's jaw dropped.

"B-But I didn't do anything!" Winston stammered.

"Maybe not consciously. However you have some degree of control over your ability." Dena replied. "You've saved your friends lives, and more than once."

"But…I'm the normal one." Winston protested weakly.

"None of you are normal." Dena dismissed him and turned back to the wall.

"Lady, you don't know the half of it." Muttered Peter.

"Damn." Dena growled, turning from the wall. "I can't sense where she's taken him."

"Where WHOS taken him?" Egon demanded. "I want answers!"

"Her name is Sanguine." Dena growled. "And she's got it in for all of us."

"Sanguine? As in cheerful?" Winston asked, confused.

"Sanguine as in bloodthirsty." Dena corrected him. "I can assure you, she won't be going by it."

"Alright. Why did she kidnap Ray?" Egon asked.

"She wants all of us dead."

"Why?" Peter cut in.

"In one way or another, we killed her father." She answered.

"I've never killed anyone!" Peter said.

"No, but you are partly responsible nonetheless." Dena said gravely. "The young one most of all."

Egon's heart sank as he realized what she meant.

"Merdaf. She's his daughter."

"Merdaf had a kid! Why didn't you tell me about that?" Peter demanded.

"It had nothing to do with your capture." Dena replied. "At that time Sanguine was traveling the world looking for the tome of the unknowable. When she returned and found her father dead, she enacted spells to raise his spirit. Needless to say, she succeeded. He told her what had happened, who had killed her, and how to find them. She vowed vengeance against all of us."

"What happened to Merdaf's ghost?" Egon said in a half-whisper. Peter placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Dena shook her head. "I don't know. For the past two hundred years I've been lying low amongst humans."

"And now she's kidnapped Ray." Winston's voice betrayed his despair.

"I'm not sure if he was forced, but he's with her now. I arrived just before they left." Dena's eyes locked onto the floor. "I may have scared the young were-felis into believing whatever lies she told him."

"Were-felis?" Winston's head began to ache.

"Latin. Man who becomes a cat." Egon said in monotone.

"She'll kill him." Peter's mouth went dry.

"I don't think she'll kill him right away." Dena injected. "Her style is long drawn out suffering."

"Well that's just fan-freakin'-tastic !" Peter snapped. "She's not killing him yet, its just horrible torture!"

"Peter don't." Winston hissed. Egon had gone pale at the word torture.

"So what the hell do we do about this?" Peter jabbed a finger at the woman, ignoring Winston. "Or don't you know that either?"

Dena regarded him calmly. "We must find them immediately. I know spells that will help, but I will also need access to your books."

"Yeah, of course." Winston nodded.

"Whatever we have to do." Egon added.

Peter said nothing, but nodded curtly.

"Lets go. We're losing time that can't afford to be wasted." Dena said

-

End of Chapter the Second


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter the Third

By GirlX2

"Concentrate Raymond!"

"I am!" Ray snapped irritably. "Maybe you'd like to try reverting your molecules sometime."

The altered Ghostbuster had been trying for the last hour to revert to his former self through sheer force of will. Sarah sighed patiently at his outburst.

"I know you are. Its just…I don't know how well your friends are going to accept this if you don't gain at least a _little _control over yourself."

Ray said nothing, but his face grew worried.

"Try it again." She said calmly. "Rome wasn't built in a day, but it shouldn't take much longer to see some results."

Ray let out a small growl of frustration. Rage was boiling in his blood.

Sarah watched him, her eyes slitted.

'Just a few more hours, and he'll be at the brink.'

-

"What do we do when we find Ray?" Winston asked as he drove the Ecto-1 toward the firehouse.

"It depends on weather or not Sanguine is able to sway him to her side."

"Ray wouldn't turn against us." Peter said defiantly.

"Perhaps not." Dena didn't sound convinced. "Either way, both he and Winston will need to be trained to control their gifts."

"I'm telling you, I'm not a tele-whatever." Winton said.

Casually, Dena picked up a random piece of equipment and cocked her arm, as if to throw it at Winston.

"Nothing's gonna happen." Winston looked at her. "Go ahead and throw it."

Dena didn't reply, but threw the gadget into the back seat-straight into Egon's face. The blond threw his hands up to shield himself.

"Egon!"

As the other two Ghostbusters cried out, the device halted, as if hitting an invisible wall, and hung in midair.

The three men stared at it, speechless.

"You were saying?" The dragon smirked. She plucked the machine from the air. Egon lowered his hands, breathing shakily.

Winston, now fairly pale, turned back to the road.

'Don't do that again.' Peter's voice hissed into Dena's head.

'I needed an example. Egon is the most venerable one, thus the most likely candidate for a reaction if placed in harms way.' Dena replied on the private link.

'I don't care. Do it again, and I'm gonna get very ungentlemanly.' Peter squinted at her.

Dena chucked silently and turned forward in her seat.

"So how do I control this…thing?" Winston asked shakily.

"Now that you've recognized the fact that you are a telekinetic, it should be fairly easy to control you're ability." Dena said smoothly. "You just need to flex your ethereal shields as you would your physical body."

"Huh?" Winston was too freaked out to try and interpret her advice.

"You need to practice." Egon clarified.

"Precisely. In time, Winston will be able to make shields, manipulate object-perhaps even fly." Dena said.

"Fly?" Winston's mouth went dry. "No way. I may be crazy enough to work with these guys, but my feet are staying on the ground!"

"You fly the Ecto-2 regularly." Egon pointed out.

"Yeah, machines I can deal with." Winston shivered. "But flying by myself? What if I 'hit the wall' when I'm in the air?"

"Watch were you're going, and you won't have the problem." Peter cracked.

"This isn't funny Pete." Winston said. "You may be used to having a 'gift', but I'm not!"

At this, Winston slammed on the brakes of the car. He was shaking slightly.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Peter said softly. "It's cool Zed."

"We can help you come to grips with this." Egon added. "Peter is a psychologist, and with Ray and my knowledge of the supernatural…"

Egon trailed off after realizing what he'd said.

"We can worry about me later." Winston eased the car back into forward. "Lets just worry about getting Ray back."

Dena stared at them curiously. "So, this is the fabled 'pack mentality' of humans. Protecting weak and injured members, even if the damage is internal."

"Yeah, being a human has got its perks." Peter replied sarcastically.

"Dragons engage in similar behavior, between young and mates." Dena admitted. "But never for the other dragons you contact."

"That's depressing." Winston said. "You have no concept of friendship?"  
"We did once." Dena said with barely hidden rage. "After human slaughter your friends, you stop making them."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the Ectomobile as the Ghostbusters continued toward the firehouse.

-

"This isn't working." Ray growled.

"You are trying too hard." Sarah said sympathetically. "Just rest for a while. We'll try again after we arrive at your home."

Ray started slightly, realizing how late it was.

"Gosh, its dusk already!"

Sarah nodded. "You've put up a valiant effort Raymond. In time, you will be able to control the transformation."

"Well, I sure as heck can't control it now." Ray said, depressed. Hours of trying to shed his beastly form had only resulted in tiring himself out.

"I'm sure the presence of your friends will get things rolling." Sarah said smoothly.

Ray said nothing, but Sarah could read his expression clearly. The were-felis was deeply troubled about going back to his friends in this form, especially after the fight they'd had. She smiled benignly, and began riling his fears.

"I'm sure they've forgiven you by now." She cooed. "And even if they haven't, they'll understand when we arrive. You've been though much Raymond, and if your friends couldn't see that, it troubles me somewhat."

"Its not their fault." Ray said quietly. "Egon's been recovering these last few months-I coulda sprouted an extra head before they noticed something was wrong."  
"Of course." Sarah continued in her saccharine tone. "He and Peter share a special relationship, don't they? My mother spoke of it."

"Peter rescued him after Merdaf shattered his mind." Ray said in a monotone. "All I could do was attack Merdaf-I've never been so angry in my life."

Ray was staring out the window at the fading sunlight, so he didn't see Sarah bristle at Merdaf's name. Her blond hair streamed back, as if in a high winds. She barely contained a snarl of rage.

"And you killed him." Her voice took a cold edge.

"I didn't mean to!" Ray said instantly. "If I'd known…"

The Ghostbuster trialed off, troubled.

Sarah turned from him, getting her rage slowly under control.

'He's suitably distracted and distressed. Soon he will be mine and I can end this pathetic charade.'

With a frozen smile pasted on her face, she turned back to him.

"Let's go now."

-

Peter paced as Dena studied the books piled around her.

"This one has what I need." She pulled out a maroon tome, placing it next to her book.

" 'The tome of unlawful knowledge'?" Egon said doubtfully.

"Between that and 'The tome of the unknowable' I have the spells I need." She opened the book she'd brought.

"That's 'The tome of the unknowable'?" Peter demanded. "We've been looking for it for months!"

"I found it before any of you were born." Dena replied coolly. "I decided to keep it safe myself."

Peter glared at her, but didn't reply.

"Ray's been tracking it through history." Winston said. "He was frustrated because he couldn't track it down."

"We fought about it right before this whole thing happened." Peter said sourly.

"I removed it from the Vatican over a century ago." Dena told them. "I didn't think it would cause a rift between you."

"Yeah, well, it did." Peter snapped. "And now Ray's with that psychopathic bitch, and she's doing God knows what to him."

'Calm down.' Egon's warning tone whispered through the Ghostbusters's head. 'She's just trying to help.'

'If she wanted to help she would have left the damn book where we could find it.' Peter replied curtly.

Dena watched the two men argue silently.

"Do they do that often?"

"Not arguing, no." Winston sighed. He raised his hands. "Guys, would you just calm down-"

As he spoke, the two men were forcefully pushed away from each other. The psychic conversation stopped as they stared in amazement at Winston.

"Uh…" Winston dropped his hands sheepishly. The force dissipated.

"We're gonna have to watch ourselves now that Winston has 'the force'." Peter's anger melted into amusement.

"I concur." Egon's eyebrows shot up in an amused expression.

"If the three of you are done being foolish, I can begin scyring." Dena said. Without waiting for a reply, she began to sketch a design onto the wooden floor.

"That's not blood, is it?" Winston asked, slightly green.

"I didn't kill anyone." Dena skillfully avoided answering the question. Slowly, the redhead finished drawing a pentagram. She took a piece of chalk from a small pouch at her waist. She drew a circle around the star

"A protection circle." Egon murmured, carefully studying the ritual.

"There are more dangerous things out there than your friend." Dena stepped inside the star. "And I don't what them knowing what or where I am."

'The circle isn't meant to protect the scryer.' Egon whispered to Peter and Winston. 'Its to keep dangerous entities in the circle.'

'She _is _trying to protect us.' Peter realized. Unable to add his thoughts to the conversation, Winston merely nodded.

Dena closed her eyes. Her hands fluttered by her sides in rhythmic movements. A wind that was only in the circle seemed to ruffle her clothes and auburn curls. She began to whisper archaic words. Peter couldn't understand most of what she was saying-he'd ask Egon later-but he caught the words were-felis.

Suddenly, her eyes opened in shock.

"Its too late!" Her voice changed into a roar.

-

Ray fumbled with his keys as he unlocked the backdoor to the firehouse. His 'paws' weren't the best tools for handling such things.

"Janine should be off by now. I wouldn't want to scare her by coming in." Ray told Sarah.

"Uh-hmm." Sarah said, barely hearing the words. She was concentrating to hard to bother with the niceties of conversation.

"Well…here goes nothing." Ray opened the door.

All was dark inside the ground floor of the building. The Ectomobile sat quietly in its corner of the garage. Light filtered down from the opening the fire pole created. Ray started up the stairs, with Sarah trailing him.

"Guys?" Ray called.

"Ray?" Peter's voice cried out. The brunette man appeared at the top of the staircase. The frightened look that Ray had seen after his transformation was still there.

"Uh, yeah. Its me." Ray said, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked levelly.

"Do I look alright?" Ray demanded angrily. Peter cringed at the shout.

"Sorry." Ray muttered, not feeling the least bit sorry.

"No, its...its fine." Peter gulped. "Egon and Winston are still out looking for you. I came back in case you came home."

"I've been with Sarah." Ray motioned to the woman behind him. "Peter…She's Dena's daughter."

"What!" Peter's shout seemed angry rather than incredulous.

"I'll explain all, but we need to talk about what's passed first." Sarah smiled sweetly.

"Of course." Peter's manner softened upon seeing the woman. "Both of you, come up here. We'll talk in the living room."

Ray walked slowly up the stirs, dreadfully aware of Peter's gaze. The older man seemed to be studying both of them.

'Why wouldn't he? I'm the freak of the week.' Ray thought bitterly.

'That's not why!' The small voice that had been bothering him all day cried out.

'Shut up.'

"Ray is being stalked by an evil entity." Sarah said after they were all seated. "My mother warned me this would happen, and I've come to protect and help you."

"That's great. Really." Peter said in a strange tone. "And, why exactly does this thing want Ray?"

"Brute strength, using him against you…who can say?" Sarah breezed past the question.

"Uh-huh." Peter said skeptically.

"In a few weeks time I can teach him to control the transformation-the entity couldn't use him if he was able to change back and forth." She continued.

"So, you want me to say 'okay, take my friend for a month and you'll 'cure' him'?" Peter growled.

"In essence, yes." Sarah said coldly.

"Peter, she saved me from that thing." Ray said.

"No, she didn't. She's what you need to be saved from." Peter stood, his eyes flashing.

"What are you-" Ray started.

"You know not of which you speak, mortal." Sarah growled, standing. Ray quickly got between the two.

'Ray, get away from her. She's not Dena's daughter-She's Merdaf's daughter!' Peter's voice hissed into Ray's head.

"What?" Ray said aloud.

"Its to late Raymond, the evil has already gotten to your friends. Get behind me." Sarah yelled out.

"But-I-" Ray's focus whipped between the two. A confused pressure was building, not only in the room, but in the transformed Ghostbusters' head. Physically, he felt a tugging-half to Peter, and half to Sarah.

"Ray, get back!" Winston and Egon burst out from behind the doorway into the kitchen, proton throwers at the ready. With them, was a red-headed gothic looking woman.

Sarah's gaze turned to the woman.

"You." She hissed.

"Me." The woman hissed back.

Ray stood in-between the men and Sarah, confusion rolling over him. The tugging was growing stronger-and painful.

"Raymond that is the evil one who wishes to enslave you." Sarah growled.

"Young one, do NOT listen to her. She's poisoned you against us." The other woman spoke quickly. "Think it out!"

The pressure had reached its peak. Physical pain drove the Ghostbuster to his knees.

"Stop this!" Ray screamed. "You're tearing me apart!"

"Ray!" The startled voices of his friends rang out.

Ray's vision clouded over red. Someone was laughing-no cackling-behind him. The tugging stopped. Everything went from red to black as Ray was flung backwards.

-

End of Chapter the Third


	4. Chapter 4

"Human Nature"

By GirlX2

Chapter the Fourth

-

The Ghostbuster landed in a crumpled heap. All was quiet. The red faded, leaving him staring into what seemed like never-ending darkness. He panted, and his thoughts finally seemed clear.

'What have I done?' He thought, horrified. He'd felt like this after his initial transformation. He stood upright, no longer wobbling on just two legs.

"What happened?" He wondered aloud. He looked into the darkness confused. "Where am I?"

He looked down at his hands. His _human _hands.

"Thank God." He breathed. Somehow, along with the confused state and the pulling, he'd shed the strange bestial form.

However, his new surroundings seemed just as strange. The firehouse, the feuding women, and his friends had vanished. A dim light revealed something the size and shape of a television hovering in the dark. The picture was dark, but sound issued from the 'speakers'.

Slowly, a picture slicked on the screen. It was a slanted view of the living room, as if seen from the floor. Slowly, it shifted, as if he was standing upright. Dena and the guys were standing in his view, but Sarah had disappeared.

"Now we're on even ground." Sarah's voice flowed in the room-But Ray still couldn't locate the source.

"Oh my God." Winston had gone pale. "Ray?"

"No. That's not Ray." Egon's voice shook with rage. "Its Sanguine."

"Very good." Sanguine said smugly.

Ray stared in shock as he realized Egon was pointing at him. Sarah-Sanguine had taken control of his body, shoving him into some forgotten corner of his own mind.

'She's been doing it ever since I met her.' Ray realized.

'That where the voice in my head was coming from.'

'It was me.'

"What did you do to him?" Peter's voice was rage-filled.

"She _lies _Peter. Believe nothing she says." Dena growled.

" 'She lies'." Sanguine mocked. "Is that all you have to say, worm?"

"She's taken possession of Ray." Dena continued grimly. "And I'd venture that Ray's being forced to watch whatever she's doing."

Peter leveled his thrower at her. "I'll pull her biometric signal off of Ray's. It's worked before."

"Do that and he dies." Sanguine said coolly. "Because right now, I'm the only thing holding his beast nature in check. Get rid of me and it overwhelms him, effectively obliterating his consciousness and leaving a monster to dispose of the rest of you."

"Lies. If that was true, why not let it go? You want us all dead anyway." Dena's voice sounded raspy.

"No, I want you to suffer as much as possible." Sanguine said in an icy tone. "And I want the were-felis freak to watch as his own claws rip you to shreds!"

The POV sprung forward as Sanguine launched herself at Peter, claws extended.

"NO!" Ray cried out, his hands pressed to the screen.

'ENOUGH!' Dena's voice roared through the darkness, and the view shifted from Peter, tumbling to the floor. Sanguine looked up shakily.

Dena had resumed Draconic from. She stood over them, her dagger-like teeth bared.

"Oh wow." Ray breathed.

'Leave him.' Dena's teeth snapped close to his face. 'Or it will go far worse for you.'

"You'll kill the innocent along with me." Sanguine's tone was shaky.

'He wouldn't want to live that way.'

"She's right!" Ray yelled into the darkness, knowing Sanguine could hear him. "She'll kill us both in order to free me from you!"

"Shut up, freak." Sanguine's voice echoed through the darkness.

"I won't!" Ray screamed. "All this time I've been listening to your lies, looking for a way to be 'cured'-Well, maybe I don't _need _a cure!"

"Silence!"

"No!"

-

The others watched as Ray's face contorted.

"What's happening to him?" Winston asked.

'He's fighting back.' Dena replied, not removing her clawed forepaw from the possessed man's chest.

-

"You've been warning me about 'The Beast' inside me. The only Beast inside me is you, let in by my own fear." Ray said calmly. His panic had given way to sheer placidity. "I'm not letting you take this any further."

"And what do you plan to do?" Sanguine sneered. "I hold all the cards. Your body is mine. Your consciousness is trapped in a corner of your mind."

"That's just it. Its _my _mind." Ray said softly. "I'm only trapped because I've let you trap me."

He concentrated on a blank spot in the darkness.

"What are you doing?" Sanguine said fearfully. She shimmered before him, now appearing ghostly in his mind's eye. "Stop it!"

"I'm not listening to you anymore." Ray walked forward. A serene smile played onto his face.

"You're a killer! Free yourself from me and you'll slay again, just like you slayed my father!" She snarled, her hands on his shoulders. "You'll tear your friends to bloody shreds!"

Ray looked deep into the red depths of her eyes. "They have the drop on me if I try."

He pushed her slowly to one side and walked into the darkness.

-

Slowly, Ray's eyes opened. The others stood above him, throwers out, but not pointed at him.

"Ray." Peter said quietly. There was no question in his voice.

Ray opened his mouth, but was stopped before he could speak.

A blood red mist shot from his open mouth, contorting into jagged, clawed shapes. It formed into a humanoid figure, very akin to common class fours they'd battled. It was screaming in rage, harrowing its murky face with insubstantial fingernails.

'Back, all of you!' Dena growled.

"But-" Peter's hand twitched over the trigger of his thrower.

'NOW!' She roared.

The Ghostbusters were quick to oblige, dragging Ray backwards with them.

"You're time will come soon, worm!" The ghostly sorceress shrieked as she began to dissolve. "I'll rend you myself!"

Dena's long face broke into a crocodile grin. 'We'll see, daughter of wickedness and lies.'

Sanguine's scream was unnervingly close to a Banshee's as she faded from sight.

"Is she dead?" Winston choked out.

'No such luck. But she's very weak. She won't be back for some time.' Dena answered.

A shaky breath drew everyone's attention back to the were-felis lying on the floor.

"My head's finally clear." Ray managed a small grin. "For the first time in a week."

The other men fell on him, hugging him fiercely.

"Don't you ever run away like that again Raymond Stantz!" Peter's lighthearted words were betrayed by the shaky tone of his voice.

"Not a chance." He replied. The furred face grew serious. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"You don't have to be. We know she's been messing with your mind, not to mention…this." Winston said the last word haltingly, chocolate brown eyes flicking over the younger man.

"This." Ray agreed. He looked up at Dena, a sad smile gracing his face. "I can't change back, can I?"

'No.'

Ray nodded. "Once I realized she was lying about who she was, I figured she was lying about everything."

"Oh Ray." Egon breathed. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing for it." Ray said mildly. "Plus, now I have an excuse to build that image inducer. I can't fight ghosts in public looking like _this_."

Ray climbed to his feet, wobbling unsteadily as he did. He now towered above the others, clearing Egon's head by a good six inches.

"This is gonna take some getting used to." He mumbled.

'You'd do better on four limbs.' Dena observed.

"Yeah, but I'll need to learn to balance on two. Can't work a thrower without a free set of hands." Ray said in a slightly rueful tone.

"Maybe I can help." A proverbial light bulb lit over Winston's head. Slowly, he formed a shield around Ray's shaky legs, helping support the man.

"Winston?" Ray said, confused, but grateful for the support. "What's going on?"

"Oh jeez, we didn't fill him in." Peter grinned. "We found out Winston's gift."

"He's telekinetic." Egon nodded.

Ray's eyes widened with delight. "Really? That's great!"

Peter's breath caught for a moment as he watched his younger partner. Even under all the fur and fangs, Ray's boyish face still shone through.  
"It is?" Winston replied skepticially.

"Gosh, yeah! Egon and I have about a million theories about telekinetics, but we've never found one that we can test extensively."

"Ray's correct. It would be of immense scientific value." Egon's eyes gleamed. "That is, if Winston is willing to submit to testing…"

Ray looked down at the older man hopefully. Winston sighed.

"How can I say no to that?"

A toothy grin broke out over Ray's face.

-

Peter lay sprawled across the couch long after the others had retired upstairs. Ray had practically bounded up the stairs on all four limbs.

'This is definitely going to take some getting used to.' Peter thought, staring blankly at the TV.

Dena had taken over their downstairs guest room, although Peter couldn't remember anyone inviting her. She's transformed back to human form, saying to Peter she'd get some things from her apartment in the morning.

' "I don't intend to stay here forever, but I think a more experience influence would benefit you all".' She'd told him. ' "The young were-felis needs guidance. And Gaia only knows when Sanguine will return." '

Peter stared moodily at the set.

'Peter?'

The inquiry was accompanied by Egon's appearance on the spiral staircase. 'Are you okay?'

Peter shook his head. 'No Spengs.'

Egon joined him on the couch. 'Is it Ray?'

'Its Sanguine.' Peter held back a growl. 'I could have gotten her. If I had just fired we wouldn't have to worry about her coming back.'

Egon could feel the rage coming off Peter in waves.

'You did what you could. The important thing is that Ray is home safe.'

'Safe, but not the unscathed.' Peter's face had gone blank. 'If I'd figured out something was seriously wrong, maybe we could have prevented his transformation.'

'His transformation was inevitable.' Egon reminded him. 'You did the right thing, listening to Dena.'

"I could have _had _her!" Peter yelled, standing up. "And now _she's _back out there, plotting her revenge."

"Peter-" Egon rose.

"I've failed twice, and I'm not going to fail a third time!" Peter growled.

"Its not your fault." Egon place a hand on his shoulder. "You are the reason Ray and I are both safe now. You pulled me out of the hell Merdaf locked me in, and you helped get Ray out of his."

"Yeah, well, I'm the reason this whole thing got started, too." Peter replied. He turned from Egon and started up the stairs. "And God help me, I'm gonna make sure no one else gets hurt because of me."

"Peter-"

"Goodnight Egon." Peter disappeared upstairs.

Egon sat down slowly.

'He's very protective of all of you, isn't he?'

Dena emerged from the guestroom, clad in one of Peter's old tee-shirts. It hung on her slender frame, making the blond man blush slightly.

'Peter's always taken responsibility for us.' Egon replied as she sat. 'This is tearing him apart. Not to mention the fact that he feels guilty about not curing me completely.'

'He does?' Dena cocked an eyebrow.

'Well, he hasn't said as much, but he definitely feels that way. I can feel it too.' Egon said.

'You're an empath also? That's even more rare in humans than telepathy.' Dena sad.

Egon nodded. 'We thought so.'

'I have the spell that can free you from the residuals of Merdaf's powers.' Dena said. 'Tomorrow I can cast it and Peter can stop worrying.'

Egon smiled sadly. 'Oh, he'll still worry. But this will help.'

'I suggest you retire for the evening.' Dena stood up. 'You'll benefit greatly from the rest.'

Egon nodded. 'You're right. Good night.'

'Good Night.' Dena watched him traverse the stairs.

'He worries as much for Peter as Peter does for him.' She shook her head in mock exasperation.

-

"Well?"

"They live."

"You've failed me, just as you failed in retrieving the tome." A dark figure with glowing red eyes stalked before Sanguine.

"At least I survived." Sanguine glared at him.

"Your barely more than a wraith yourself." He observed. "What harm can you possibly do them?"

"I will recover." She replied. "And the plan I have will take time to set."

"This time I want to make them suffer on my terms." Merdaf snarled. "Not just separation, but death."

"Cut off the head and the body dies." Sanguine smiled.

Merdaf nodded. "Fail me again and there will be consequences far greater than death."

"I will not fail."

-

THE END


End file.
